Despite its important contributions to the global carbon cycle, transitions in plankton community composition between the winter and spring have been scarcely examined in the North Atlantic. Phytoplankton blooms are a natural occurrence in the spring. [8] Freshwater influences primary productivity in two ways. Also, grazing pressure tends to be lower because the generally cooler temperatures at higher latitudes slow zooplankton metabolism.[1]. "The phytoplankton of Narragansett Bay". Now, new research suggests the tiny free-floating microorganisms play a … ScienceDirect ® is a registered trademark of Elsevier B.V. ScienceDirect ® is a registered trademark of Elsevier B.V. Phytoplankton spring bloom initiation: The impact of atmospheric forcing and light in the temperate North Atlantic Ocean. [2], Spring blooms typically last until late spring or early summer, at which time the bloom collapses due to nutrient depletion in the stratified water column and increased grazing pressure by zooplankton. In this study, the effects of sea ice and wind speed on the timing and composition of phytoplankton spring bloom in the central and southern Baltic Sea are investigated by a hydrodynamic–biogeochemical model and observational data. "Climate forcing of the spring bloom in Chesapeake Bay". suggested that the reduction was due to increased grazing pressure, which could potentially become intense enough to prevent spring blooms from occurring altogether. [1][2] This creates a comparatively high nutrient and high light environment that allows rapid phytoplankton growth.[1][2][7]. The North Atlantic phytoplankton spring bloom is the pinnacle in an annual cycle that is driven by physical, chemical, and biological seasonality. We estimated the total primary production during the spring bloom in 2002 to range 27–35 g C m−2. We find that periods of convective mixing and high winds in winter and spring can substantially decrease (up to an order of magnitude) light-dependent mean specific growth rate for phytoplankton and prevent the development of rapid, high-magnitude blooms. stock) that typically occurs in the early spring and lasts until late spring or early summer. In Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, a study by Durbin et al. This lag occurs because there is low winter zooplankton abundance and many zooplankton, such as copepods, have longer generation times than phytoplankton. One region with annually recurring spring phytoplankton blooms is the North … Now there is a growing body of evidence that suggests under-ice blooms (UIBs) of phytoplankton, like a sudden spring flowering in a garden, can occur in … First, because freshwater is less dense, it rests on top of seawater and creates a stratified water column. stock) that typically occurs in the early spring and lasts until late spring or early summer? The annual cycles of phytoplankton in the temperate and subpolar North Atlantic Ocean are characterized by pronounced blooms in spring (Yoder et al. "Abandoning Sverdrup's Critical Depth Hypothesis on phytoplankton blooms". Blooms can form throughout the year under the appropriate conditions and different types of phytoplankton can bloom at different times of year. Color variations in the plume are caused by different water depths (the coccolithophores in the plume can live at depths of up to 50 meters below the surface) and different phytoplankton concentrations. environmental) factors. At this time seawater is often full of nutrients following the winter period and the weather becomes more calm. Abstract: Polar regions are undergoing rapid and dramatic changes. This is because most organisms are unable to fix atmospheric nitrogen into usable forms (i.e. 4 to 20 h during an annual cycle. Oviatt et al. Most readers will need little introduction to Sverdrup's concept of a critical depth, ‘… there must exist a critical depth such that b… Blooms can also occur in summer and fall when there is an increase in nutrients from natural sources, such as wind-driven mixing of surface waters with deeper waters, or human sources, such as wastewater treatment plants. Chiswell, S. M., 2011, "The spring phytoplankton bloom: don’t abandon Sverdrup completely": Marine Ecology Progress Series, v. 443, p. 39–50 –.